Battery charging system and mobile and accessory devices

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed at a method and system for recharging batteries for wireless electronic devices. According to one embodiment, a battery charging and monitoring system is disclosed. The system includes a host machine providing a plurality of charging slots and a plurality of wireless devices coupled to and powered by a plurality of batteries. The host machine is adapted to communicate with the plurality of wireless devices through a plurality of wireless links to monitor the plurality of batteries coupled to the wireless devices. According to another embodiment, an electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device is adapted to couple with at least a rechargeable battery and to negotiate with the rechargeable battery for an agreed range of power parameters. The electronic device is further adapted to accept power from and to provide power to the rechargeable battery at the agreed range of power parameters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As the number of small, portable, electronic devices in daily use havemultiplied, so too have the need for wireless capabilities. And ascomputers gain increasing power, so too have the demand to integratevarious types of wireless devices with personal computers. However, evenas devices have miniaturized and gone wireless, the power requirementsof wireless devices have not decreased. On the contrary, in some cases,the power requirements for portable wireless devices laden with newfeatures and processing power have even increased. This trend forincreased mobility and power has increased the need for longer lastingre-chargeable batteries and have propelled manufacturers of many newwireless devices to bundle their recharging units and/or batteries withtheir products.

Modern computers offer a wide variety of methods to communicate withwireless communication and peripheral devices. Wireless networks such aswireless personal area networks (WPAN) for example offer a convenientway for users to connect wireless devices together on a same networkwith computers. A typical WPAN network can connect wireless devicesincluding devices such as computers, monitors, keyboards, mice,headsets, multimedia devices such as MP3 players, cell phones andcamcorders, and PDA's. Standard WPAN networks may be built uponwell-known technologies such as IrDA (Infrared Data Association),Bluetooth and UWB (Ultra-wide-band) protocols.

One problem often encountered by a user of a wireless personal areanetwork is the constant need to re-charge or replace the batteries ofthe wireless devices. Even if the devices are equipped with rechargeablebatteries, a user of such a network still needs to be bothered by thetasks of plugging in each device to a power supply or replacingbatteries for each device whenever power in the batteries run out. Notonly is this inconvenient, but it can also decrease productivity. Forexample, when wireless device are being charged, the devices may have tobe either attached by a cable to a power outlet or may have to be takenout of commission if the batteries are taken out for re-charging. When acritical device such as a wireless mouse or wireless keyboard runs outof power, a user may have to wait until the device is charged being ableto use the computer wirelessly again.

Other inconveniences exist. For example, because the power requirementsof the various devices are all customized, each device may require itsown chargers. Users are forced to deal with a plethora of chargersand/or batteries in managing the power of their plethora of wirelessdevices. The inconveniences increases the cost using wireless device andreduces workplace productivity.

Despite these inconveniences, the need for wireless peripheral devicesis strong. This is especially so for travelers who do not want to dealwith bulky equipments or the inconveniences of connecting devicesthrough a tangle of wires and cables. What is required is an apparatusor method that can reduce or help users manage the power requirements ofthe plethora of wireless devices. It would be helpful to have anapparatus or method that can reduce the time wireless devices are takenout of commission as their batteries are re-charged. It would also behelpful to have an apparatus or method that streamline the process ofcharging the wide variety and number of batteries used in the plethoraof wireless devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed at a methodand system for recharging batteries used in wireless electronic devices.According to one embodiment, a rechargeable battery adapted to couplewith an electronic device is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, therechargeable battery may include a battery core configured to housebattery chemicals, a battery outer shell that fit over and providephysical protection to the battery core, a battery electrical componentthat can monitor the battery core and that can communicate with acoupled electronic device, and a battery end-cap configured to house thebattery electrical component.

In one embodiment, the battery core may be adapted to be swappable withreplacement battery cores to increase the capability for recycling. Inanother embodiment, a rechargeable battery may be adapted to couple witha variety of power charging devices that output power at a variety ofparameters and a variety of power consuming devices that require to beprovided power at a variety of parameters. In another embodiment, thebattery may be adapted to send and receive communications signals withthe electronic device to enable battery management functionalities.

For example, according to an embodiment, a rechargeable battery may beadapted to negotiate with the coupled electronic device for an agreedrange of power parameters at which power will be transferred to thedevice and to configure the rechargeable battery to provide power at theagreed range of power parameters. In another embodiment, a rechargeablebattery may be adapted to negotiate with the coupled charging device foran agreed range of power parameters at which power will be accepted fromthe charger and to configure the rechargeable battery to accept power atthe agreed range of power parameters.

According to another embodiment, an exemplary rechargeable battery maybe coupled to an electronic device with more than one rechargeablebatteries. In an embodiment, the rechargeable battery is adapted tocoordinate with other rechargeable batteries coupled to the electronicdevice to negotiate for parameters at which the batteries will be eitherproviding or accepting power. In another embodiment, the electronicdevice is adapted to negotiate with the plurality of rechargeablebatteries to negotiate for parameters at which the batteries will beeither providing or accepting power.

According to an embodiment, an exemplary rechargeable battery mayinclude a plurality of sensors to measure a plurality of propertiesassociated with the battery. An exemplary rechargeable battery may, forexample, include sensors to measure the temperature and pressure of thebattery core in response to power flowing into or out of the batterycore as a function of time. A rechargeable battery may include sensorsto measure the current and voltage of the battery core in response topower flowing into or out of the battery core. A rechargeable batterymay be adapted to monitor and manage the battery core based on themeasurements from its plurality of sensors.

According to an embodiment, a rechargeable battery may be adapted totransmit and receive electric power over the same electrical path thatthe battery transmit and receive communications signals with the coupledelectronic device. An exemplary rechargeable battery may include atemporary power storage to store power its communications circuits canaccess in the event the battery core is drained. A rechargeable batterymay be adapted to allow power transmission between the electronic devicethe battery core only when the electronic device is coupled and todisable power transmission between the electronic device the batterycore when the electronic device is not coupled.

According to an embodiment, a rechargeable battery may include aplurality of metallic posts with predetermined dimensions adapted toelectrically couple with the electronic device only in certainorientation. In the embodiment, an electrical connection between thebattery and the device is properly made only when the rechargeablebattery and the electronic device are coupled to each other in a correctconfiguration. According to an embodiment, a rechargeable battery mayalso an internal switch that is activated only when an electronic deviceis detected to be located in close proximity. Without activation of theinternal switch, no effective power is allowed to flow into or out ofthe battery core.

According to a specific embodiment, an exemplary internal switch isactivated only in the presence of a magnetic field of a predeterminedcharacteristics. In an embodiment, an electronic device adapted tocouple with the exemplary battery may include a magnetic component thatemit magnetic fluxes of the right strength and orientation. When anelectronic device with the right magnetic signature is brought intoclose proximity with an exemplary battery, the internal switch is closedand power may be allowed to flow into or out of the battery. If eitherthe strength or orientation of the magnetic flux is off, the internalswitch remains inactivated.

According to an embodiment, a rechargeable battery may be adapted tostore a charging history. A rechargeable battery may be adapted to resetthe charging history when the battery core is replaced. According to anembodiment, based on the histories stored on board, a battery maydetermine whether the rechargeable battery should undergo a normalcharge or reconditioning charge, then configure the battery to undergo anormal charge or reconditioning charge accordingly, and update thecharging history as appropriate.

According to another embodiment, a rechargeable battery may be adaptedcontrol the charging protocol for any of several goals. In oneembodiment, a rechargeable battery may control the rate of charging tominimize charging time. A rechargeable battery may control the rate ofcharging to maximize overall battery life. A rechargeable battery maycontrol the rate of charging to maximize the energy charged.

According to an embodiment, a rechargeable battery may be adapted tocouple with electronic devices through latching mechanisms. According toanother embodiment, a rechargeable battery may be adapted to couple withelectronic devices through magnetic or electromagnetic-based systems.According to an embodiment, power may be transferred to and from arechargeable battery through metal contacts. According to anotherembodiment, power may be transferred to and from a rechargeable batterythrough inductive means.

An exemplary electronic device adapted to couple to an exemplaryrechargeable battery is also disclosed as part of the invention.According to an embodiment, an electronic device may be adapted tonegotiate with a rechargeable battery for an agreed range of power tooperate. If the electronic device is a power providing device, thedevice may negotiate for a range of power at which to provide power. Ifthe electronic device is a power consuming device, the device maynegotiate for a range of power at which to accept power.

According to an embodiment, an electronic device may also be adapted tocouple with and negotiate with more than one rechargeable batteries. Anelectronic device may negotiate with a plurality of batteries and toconfigure an independent power parameter at which to output or acceptpower with each of the batteries. An electronic device may include asmall power storage unit to store power that can be used to power anelectronic device in the event that power from the batteries areinterrupted, which may occur, for example, when one of the batteriesbecomes drained and/or needs to be replaced.

A host machine is also disclosed as an aspect of the current invention.According to an embodiment, a host machine may be adapted to wirelesscouple with a plurality of wireless devices, each of which may becoupled to and powered by one or more rechargeable batteries. Over aplurality of wireless links, a host machine may be adapted tocommunicate with the plurality of wireless devices and to monitor eachof the rechargeable batteries coupled to the plurality of wirelessdevices.

An exemplary host machine may include a plurality of charging slots forcharging a plurality of batteries and holding a plurality of batteriesin a fully charge state. In an embodiment, when a rechargeable batterybecomes drained, a host machine may alert the user of the device withthe drained battery and direct the user to a battery of the proper typefrom its charging slot. An exemplary host machine may be adapted tomonitor the plurality of rechargeable batteries held in its chargingslots by communicating directly with the charging slots.

According to another embodiment, a host machine may be adapted toidentify batteries of unfit quality. A host machine may be adapted toassess the quality state of each of batteries coupled to each of thewireless devices by communicating wirelessly with each of the wirelessdevices. If a battery of unfit quality is found, the user is directed toa battery of the right type that is also fully charged for the user toswap with the unfit battery.

According to another embodiment, a host machine may be adapted controlthe charging protocol for any of several goals. In one embodiment, ahost machine may control the rate of charging to minimize charging time.A host machine may control the rate of charging to maximize overallbattery life. A host machine may control the rate of charging tomaximize the energy charged.

An exemplary host machine may be adapted to maintain a record ofcharging histories for the rechargeable batteries. In an embodiment,based on the charging histories, a host machine may customize thecharging protocol for a rechargeable battery. For example, wherebatteries need to undergo a reconditioning charge periodically after apredetermined numbers of charge cycles, a host machine may determinewhether a battery undergoes a normal charge or reconditioning chargebased on the record of charging histories for the battery.

According to another embodiment, a host machine may also be adapted tojoin a network of cooperating remote host machines. In one embodiment,when a host machine joins in a network of cooperating host machines, thehost machine may expand the inventory of charged batteries available atits disposal to swap when a battery in one of the wireless devicesbecomes drained. For example, a host machine alone may only have thebatteries in its charging slots at its disposal to offer to swap with adrained battery. After joining a network, when a drained batteryappears, a host machine may also query other host machines for batteriescompatible with the drained battery to swap with one of its drainedbatteries.

According to an embodiment, the charging slots on a host machine maycouple with rechargeable batteries through latching mechanisms.According to another embodiment, the charging slots on a host machinemay couple with rechargeable batteries through magnetic orelectromagnetic-based systems. According to an embodiment, power may betransferred to and from the batteries through metal contacts. Accordingto another embodiment, power may be transferred to and from thebatteries through inductive means.

An exemplary battery charging and monitoring system is also disclosed aspart of the invention. According to an embodiment, a battery chargingand monitoring system may include a host machine with a plurality ofcharging slots and a plurality of wireless devices that can bewirelessly connected to the host machine. Each of the plurality ofwireless devices may be powered by one or more rechargeable batteries.The host machine may be adapted to communicate with wireless devices andto monitor charge states of the batteries coupled to the wirelessdevices through wireless communication links.

According to an embodiment, a battery charging and monitoring system maybe adapted to minimize downtime associated with recharging. In anembodiment, a system can keep a plurality of batteries that is alwayscharged and ready for use. When a battery in a wireless device becomesdrained, a user may be alerted of the location of the drained battery aswell as the location of a charged battery held by the system that isready to be swapped with the drained battery.

In an embodiment, a battery charging and monitoring system may beconfigured to estimate the time until each battery coupled to each ofthe wireless devices will need to be recharged. According to anotherembodiment, a battery charging and monitoring system may also be adaptedto identify batteries of low charge and/or unfit quality. A batterycharging and monitoring system may be adapted to assess the charge stateand/or quality state of each of batteries coupled to the wirelessdevices by communicating wirelessly with the wireless devices. A batterycharging and monitoring system may also be able to assess the chargestate and/or quality state of the batteries that is being held. When abattery of unfit quality is found, the system may help users obtain anew compatible battery through an e-commerce system.

Other embodiments and examples are discussed in the descriptions below.A better understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentinvention can be gained by reference to the detailed description and theaccompanying drawings below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an overall battery charging system and mobile andaccessory device in accordance with a specific embodiment of the currentinvention.

FIG. 2A shows various perspectives of the physical form factor of anexemplary rechargeable battery. FIG. 2B shows a perspective view of themajor components of an exemplary rechargeable battery. FIG. 2Cillustrates a detailed subcomponent view associated with the end cap ofan exemplary rechargeable battery. FIG. 2D illustrates an additionaldetails making up the electrical component of an exemplary rechargeablebattery. FIG. 2E illustrates a close up view of the electricalcomponents of an exemplary battery. FIG. 2F illustrates a perspectiveview of the electrical components of an exemplary battery. FIG. 2Gillustrates four exemplary form factors in accordance with a specificembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A shows an exemplary process through which a universal battery maynegotiate with and provide power to a power consuming device. FIG. 3Bshows an exemplary process through which a universal battery maynegotiate with and accept power from a power charging device. FIG. 3Cillustrates an embodiment of the steps a group of universal batteriesmay take in coupling with a power consuming device. FIG. 3D shows anembodiment of the steps a group universal batteries may take in couplingwith a power charging device.

FIG. 4A shows a perspective view of components including various sensorsof an embodiment of a rechargeable battery adapted to measure variousproperties of the battery. FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary processinvolved in assessing a battery's charge state when a battery isconnected to a power consuming device. FIG. 4C illustrates an exemplaryprocess involved in assessing a battery's charge state when a battery isconnected to a power charging device.

FIG. 5A shows a state diagram of the major states of a universalrechargeable battery in accordance with an embodiment of the currentinvention. FIG. 5B illustrates the functional schematics of the RestingState of an exemplary universal battery. FIG. 5C illustrates thefunctional schematics of the initial handshake negotiation of anexemplary universal battery. FIG. 5D shows the functional schematics ofa successful connection state according to an embodiment of theinvention. FIG. 5E shows the functional schematics when a battery'selectrical terminals are shorted in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention when the low voltage circuit is connected. 5F shows thefunctional schematics of when a battery's electrical terminals areshorted in accordance with an embodiment of the invention when the lowvoltage circuit is disconnected. 5G shows the functional schematics ofwhen a battery's electrical terminals are shorted in accordance withanother embodiment of the invention when the low voltage circuit isdisconnected. FIG. 5H illustrates the coupling of a battery to anelectronic device in a correct exemplary configuration. FIG. 5Iillustrates the coupling of a battery to an electronic device in anincorrect exemplary configuration.

FIG. 6A depicts the transmission of a low voltage communications signalaccording to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6B illustrates thetransmission of a high voltage communications signal according to anembodiment of the invention. FIG. 6C illustrates the modulation of acommunications signal over a power transmission signal according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the negotiation process between anelectronic device and a universal battery. FIG. 8 shows an embodiment ofa network of host machines.

FIG. 9A shows an exemplary process through which a rechargeable batterycan be serviced by an end user. FIG. 9B shows an exemplary processthrough which a rechargeable battery can be serviced at a retail storekiosk.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to battery charging and inparticular to charging of batteries used in connection with wireless ormobile accessory devices. This section discusses the invention in termsof several exemplary embodiments to better illustrate the invention. Theembodiments should not be taken by themselves to unnecessary restrictthe scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a battery charging system 100 for mobile andaccessory devices in accordance with a specific embodiment of thecurrent invention. An exemplary battery charging system 100 may includehost machine 110, plurality of wireless or mobile accessory devices 120,130, 140, and plurality of rechargeable batteries 160 powering thewireless or mobile accessory devices 120, 130, 140. In an exemplaryembodiment, the host machine can be a desktop personal computer, and thewireless or mobile accessory devices can be any of several wireless ormobile devices proximally located to the desktop personal computer andadapted to communicate wirelessly with the desktop personal computer.

Examples of wireless or mobile accessory devices include mice,keyboards, speakers, mp3 players, personal digital assistants, cellphones, laptop computers, microphones, headphones, and headsets. Inanother exemplary embodiment, the host machine can be a laptop computerand the wireless or mobile accessory devices can be any of wireless ormobile devices proximally located to the laptop computer and adapted tocommunicate wirelessly with the laptop computer.

In an exemplary embodiment, the host machines can act as power chargingdevices while the wireless or mobile accessory devices can act as powerconsuming devices. As shown in FIG. 1, batteries can be adapted tocouple to power charging devices such as host machines through couplingmechanisms labeled as charging slots 150 in FIG. 1. Similarly, batteriescan couple to power consuming devices such as mobile or wireless devicesthrough coupling mechanisms labeled as battery coupling components 155in FIG. 1. In an embodiment, host machines can be both power consumingdevices as well as power charging devices. In a further embodiment, thecharging slots and the coupling components may be the same components.

An example where a host machine can be both a power consuming device aswell as power charging device is a laptop computer. In an embodiment, alaptop host machine may be both a power charging and power consumingdevice that can enter either a power charging mode of operation or apower consumption mode of operation. When plugged into an externalpower, the laptop may enter into the power charging mode wherein thehost machine is adapted to charge a plurality of batteries coupled toits battery charging slots. These batteries may later be used to providepower to either the accessory devices of the laptop or the laptopitself.

When unplugged from an external power supply, the laptop may enter intopower consuming mode and begin to consume power from some of thebatteries coupled to its battery charging slots. In an embodiment, whileunplugged, instead of continuing to provide power to recharge batteriesfor the accessory devices, the laptop may, to conserve power, terminatedelivering power to charge the batteries for the accessory devices. Thelaptop may return to charging batteries for accessory devices when thelaptop is plugged back to an external power supply.

To decrease the potential downtime that a user may face as a result ofwaiting for rechargeable batteries to charge, another aspect of theinvention envisions host machines with recharging slots that are adaptedto hold in standby a plurality of rechargeable batteries that are fullycharged. Since all batteries take time to recharge, it is convenient forthe host machines to maintain a plurality of excess, fully chargedbatteries in standby that can be easily swapped with drained batteriesonce a drained battery is detected.

According to another aspect of the current invention, charging slots 150of power charging devices such as host machines 110 may be adapted tocharge a variety of types of rechargeable batteries. According toanother aspect of the current invention, a variety of types ofrechargeable batteries may be adapted to power a large diversity ofpower consuming devices. In an embodiment, a type of battery may specifya unique physical form factor. In another embodiment, a type may specifya range of power parameters at which the battery can accept power. Inanother embodiment, a type may specify a range of power parameters atwhich the battery can output power. In yet another embodiment, a typemay specify the energy capacity of a battery.

FIG. 2A shows various perspectives of an exemplary physical form factorof rechargeable battery 200. In an embodiment, the overall physical formfactor is of a flat type that is adapted to conveniently couple with alarge variety of electronic devices. From the outside, the exemplarybattery comprises at least two visible parts, battery shell 201 andbattery end cap 205. In an embodiment, battery shell 201 can be made ofeither recyclable plastic or metal.

In another embodiment, battery shell 201 can be made of anodizedaluminum similar to the material used in the Apple iPod Shuffle. In anembodiment, end cap 205 may be further adapted to be removed tofacilitate the replacement of the battery core 202 inside the battery.Depending on the embodiment, end cap 205 may be adapted to be removed byan end user directly or by specially designated recyclers. In a furtherembodiment, the end cap can be removed by users directly with speciallyprovided tools.

FIG. 2B shows a perspective view of components of a rechargeable batteryas envisioned under an embodiment of the current invention. Illustratedare battery shell 201, battery core 202, terminals for conducting power203, sensor terminals 204, and end cap 205 that fits over a portion ofbattery core 202 and battery shell 201. In an embodiment, battery core202 can be made of lithium polymer. The battery core can further becontained in a bag made of a material such as Mylar.

FIG. 2C illustrates a few of the subcomponent that may be associatedwith battery end cap 205 in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. As FIG. 2C illustrates, end cap 205 may comprise end capshell 206, end cap internal structure 207, and battery electricalcomponent 208. In a specific embodiment, battery shell 201, battery core202, and end cap components 206 and 207 can all be designed to helpisolate electrical component 208 from battery shell 201. Properlyisolated, in an embodiment, battery shell 201 and end cap 205 may bemade of metallic materials.

In an embodiment, battery electrical component 208 may be adapted tocarry out a variety of battery management functions including monitoringthe various measurements of the battery properties. According to anembodiment, the battery properties measured for battery managementpurposes may include measurements such as the temperature and pressureand the current and voltage response of a battery in reaction to a powerload.

Depending on the specific embodiments, battery management may meandifferent things. For example, in an embodiment, the rate at which powermay be drawn from a battery may be managed. In another embodiment, theextent to which a battery may be drained may be managed. Both the rateand the extent of discharge may need to be managed depending on, forexample, whether the user wants to maximize the life expectancies ofthose batteries, maximize power available for an application, orminimize the battery weight for a device.

According to an embodiment, battery management may also include theevaluation of the quality state of the battery core. For example, theevaluation can include an assessment of when a battery core might needto be replaced. According to another embodiment, battery management alsoincludes an assessment of the charge state of the battery core. Forexample, the evaluation can include an assessment of when a batteryneeds to be recharged. According to an embodiment, battery managementmay be customized by type, brand or even make of battery cores. Themanagement process may be implemented by software. In a furtherembodiment, the software may be customizable by user preferences or mayalso be updateable through software patches from the manufacturer.

In an embodiment, battery electrical component 208 may be adapted toassess the quality state or the charge state of battery core 202 basedon the charging history of a battery. According to a specificembodiment, where a battery core has a predetermined expected life time,electrical component 208 of a battery may be adapted to assess thequality of the battery core by tracking the number of charge/dischargecycles of the battery core. In the embodiment, after a predeterminednumber of charge/discharge cycles, the battery may be adapted to send asignal alerting of the need to replace the battery core. Electricalcomponent 208 may also be adapted to implement more complicatedalgorithms. For example, battery electrical component 208 may also beadapted to store and keep track of the historical measurements ofvarious battery properties.

In a further embodiment, assessments based on charging histories may beenhance. For example, instead of just counting the number of charge anddischarge cycles, electrical component 208 may be adapted to alsodistinguish between the number of slow and the number of fast charges.The charging histories may also be used to augment the interpretation ofproperty measurements. For example in an embodiment, if the temperatureand pressure gain for a given amount of charge or discharge for abattery core has been, for example, increasing with more recent chargecycles, electrical component 208 may normalize recent measurementsagainst the recent increases. Alternatively, the recent trends may initself be used to infer a charge state or quality state of the battery.Other measurements and inferences may be made. For example, in anotherembodiment, the measurements of the current and voltage responses may beused to help assess whether a reconditioning need to be performed.

Another aspect of the invention relates to the location where batterymanagement decisions are made. In general, according to one embodiment,a host machine, an accessory device, or an intelligent rechargeablebattery may be adapted to conduct battery management functionalities. Ina specific embodiment where the host machine implements batterymanagement, a host machine may be adapted to identify a battery by an idand to store the battery charging histories by the id. In an embodimentwhere an accessory device is adapted to manage the process, theaccessory may be adapted to identify a battery by an id and to store thebattery charging histories by the id. In an embodiment where the batteryis adapted to manage the process, the battery may be adapted to storeits own local copies of charging histories. Battery functionality mayalso involve any combination of the entities described in the aboveembodiments. For example, a host machine, an accessory device, and anintelligent rechargeable battery may all participate in part of thebattery management process. The specific roles each will play willdepend on the specific embodiment.

When the management process is carried out by the battery, electroniccircuit 210 on the battery may be adapted to coordinate the batterymanagement process. For example, if the battery determines that its coreneeds to be replaced, it may signal the host machine or accessory deviceto which the battery is coupled that the battery needs to be replaced.In embodiment, a host machine or accessory device may be adapted toalert the user especially if a host machine or accessory device isbetter equipped than a battery to alert a user. Where the host machineis best positioned to alert a user, when an accessory device is notifiedthat a battery needs to be recharged, the device may preferably relaythe message to a host machine. When a host machine is informed that abattery needs to be replaced, the host machine may then inform the userof the problem. In a specific embodiment, the host machine may alsoguide the user to obtain a replacement.

Another aspect of the current invention relates to recycling. In anembodiment, battery core 202 may be adapted to be replaced while therest of the batteries, including the battery shell, terminals forconducting power 203, terminal sensors 204, and end cap 205, are reused.In an embodiment, the lifetime of a battery may be designed to beseveral times longer than a battery core. In a specific embodiment,battery end cap 205 can be adapted to allow battery core 202 to beaccessed for replacement.

When the time comes finally for the rest of the battery to be disposed,each of the components including battery shell 201, battery core 202,terminals for conducting power 203, sensor terminals 204, and end cap205 may be adapted to be recycled so as to minimize environment impactof disposing rechargeable battery 200. In the embodiment, the inventionmay also include methods for assessing whether a battery core needs tobe replaced. In an embodiment, the assessment of whether to replace thecore or to replace the entire battery may be based partly by monitoringmeasurements of battery properties. In a further embodiment, theassessments may be based also on the number of charge/discharge cyclesthe core has undergone.

In general, according to an embodiment, the battery may be serviced bythe user, by the manufacturer or a designated service center. Where abattery is serviced, either by the manufacturer or by the user, batteryelectrical component 208 is preferably adapted to detect the servicing,such as the swapping of the battery core, and to reinitialize or resetthe electrical component. According to one embodiment, the electricalcomponent may need to be re-initialized because it is configured withsettings and parameters customized for a specific type, model, ormanufacturer of a battery core. When the battery core is replaced, thosesettings and parameters need to be reset.

In another embodiment, the electrical component may also have beenadapted to store the charging histories for a battery core. When thebattery core is replaced, those records also need to be reset. In someembodiments, information such as charging histories may be stored offthe battery, such as on host machines. In those embodiments, the batterymay be adapted to send a signal to the host machines for the hostmachines to rest and re-initialize the appropriate records and settingsas appropriate.

FIG. 2D illustrates additional details making up the battery electricalcomponent 208 of an exemplary battery. In the embodiment, batteryelectrical component may comprise an electronic circuit 210, a mountbracket for electronic circuit 211, and a variety of accessories,including electric terminals 212, terminal mounting brackets 214, andterminal front plate 215. In an embodiment, mount bracket 211 may beadapted to hold circuit board 210 of electrical component 208 insidebattery end cap 205. Circuit board 210 may be inserted and removed viasimple friction fit. In one embodiment, electrical component 208 may berun by software or firmware that may be customized by a user. In afurther embodiment, the software or firmware may also be updated byrunning a software patch from the manufacturer.

In an embodiment, terminal mounting brackets 214 may use a friction fitto retain battery terminal posts 212. Front plate 215 may be adapted totie terminal mounting brackets 214 together and to provide an attachmentsurface for mounting bracket 211. In an embodiment, end cap 205 may beformed of a plastic material, where end cap components 206 and 207 andend cap 205 may be injection molded as a single piece of recyclableplastic. In another embodiment, end cap 205 may be formed of a metallicmaterial, where end cap components 206 and 207 may be injection moldedas a component and be attached to end cap 205 via friction fit.

FIGS. 2E and 2F illustrate a more detailed illustration of electricalcomponents in a specific embodiment of the current invention. As FIG. 2Fillustrates, besides electronic circuit 210 and components forconducting power, electrical component 208 may also include magneticSwitch 217 that prevents effective power transmission to and from thebattery core in the absence of a magnetic field. In the embodiment,magnetic Switch 217 may be configured to close in the presence of amagnetic field above a predetermined threshold of magnetic strength. Inanother embodiment, magnetic Switch 217 may be configured to close basedon some other unique characteristics of the magnetic fields. Forexample, a switch could be configured to close only in a magnetic fieldwith fluxes of a threshold strength and fluxes at a predeterminedorientation.

Another aspect of the current invention relates to the concept of a“universal battery” where a few “types” of batteries are adapted to becoupled with a large variety of electronic devices. In one embodiment,the battery may be adapted to be charged at a range of power parameters.In another embodiment, the battery may be adapted to power devices at arange of power parameters. In one embodiment, when a battery is coupledto a power consuming device, electrical component 208 may be adapted tonegotiate with the electronic device for power settings at which tooutput power. In the embodiment, electrical component 208 is preferablyadapted to configure the battery to provide for power at the agreedpower settings.

In another embodiment, when a battery is coupled to a power chargingdevice, electrical component 208 may be adapted to negotiate with thecharging device for power settings at which the battery will acceptpower. In the embodiment, electrical component 208 is preferably adaptedto configure the battery accept power at the agreed power settings.Therefore, in an embodiment, a “type” may specify a specific range ofpower parameters at which a battery is adapted to be charged. In anotherembodiment, a “type” may specify a specific range of power parameters atwhich a battery is adapted to output power. In another embodiment, a“type” may also specify the maximum energy capacity of a battery.

According to an embodiment, a specific “type” of a universal battery mayalso specify a physical form factor. FIG. 2G shows four exemplary formfactors—labeled to as Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D—of anexemplary universal battery. According to one embodiment, all universalbattery types feature a flat form factor adapted to conveniently couplewith a large variety of electronic devices.

A large form factor such as Class A may be adapted to couple with largemobile devices such as laptops. A medium form factor such as Class B andClass C may be adapted to couple with medium mobile or wireless devicessuch as cell phones, mp3 players, wireless keyboards, mice and gamecontrollers, personal digital assistants, smart phones, larger wirelessaudiophile-type headphones. A small form factor such as Class D may beadapted to couple with smaller mobile or wireless devices such as mice,watches, RFID devices, and small sport-type headphones.

In an embodiment, the energy storage capacities of the rechargeablebatteries may or may not correlate with the type of a battery's physicalform factor. Similarly, the power ranges at which the rechargeablebatteries may be adapted to operate may or may not correlate with thetype of its physical form factor. In one embodiment, batteries of allphysical form factors feature the same range of power parameters. Inanother embodiment, each form factor offer specified ranges of energystorage capacities and range of power parameters. For example, accordingto an embodiment, Class A universal batteries may have a width of around6.5″, height of around 4.8″ and thickness of around 0.4″. The batteriesmay also possess an energy storage of around 100 watt hours and may beadapted to accept power at up to 18 volts and 600 mA and output power atup to 14 volts and 500 mA.

Similarly, Class B universal may have a width of around 2″, height ofaround 6.8″, and thickness of around 0.5″ and may possess an energystorage of around 50 watt hour. Class C universal batteries may have awidth of around 0.25″, height of around 3″ and thickness of around 3″and may possess an energy storage capacity of around 20 watt hour. ClassD universal batteries may have a width of around 0.75″, height of around1.8″ and thickness of around 2″ and may possess an energy storagecapacity of around 0.02 watt hour.

FIG. 3A shows an exemplary process through which a universal battery maybe adapted to negotiate with and provide power to a power consumingdevice. In step 3010, the universal battery is coupled to a powerconsuming device. In step 3020, the universal battery attempts tonegotiate with the power consuming device for a power parameter for thebattery to output power. If the power consuming device is adapted toonly accept power at a single fixed power parameter, the universalbattery will ascertain that power parameter. If the universal batterycan provide power at the required power parameter, the battery sends anacknowledgement in response to the power consuming device. If the powerconsuming device is adapted to accept power at a range of powerparameters, the device and the battery may negotiate at step 3020 for aspecific power parameter that is amenable to both according to thecurrent embodiment.

Once a specific power output parameter is agreed upon, an explicitacknowledgement from both the battery and the device may also be sent.After the agreement, the battery may begin delivering power at theagreed power parameter at 3050, and the power consuming device may beginaccepting power at the agreed power parameters at 3060. For a variety ofreasons, such as if the power consuming device requires power to beoutputted at a range outside of the range of the battery, thenegotiations process may fail. If the negotiations fail, the battery mayrefrain from providing power at 3040, and the power consuming device mayalso take the precautionary step of refraining to accept power at step3045.

Where a battery is coupled to a power charging device, an analogousprocess may be followed. FIG. 3B shows an exemplary process throughwhich a universal battery may be adapted to negotiate with and acceptpower from a power charging device. In step 3110, the universal batteryis coupled to a power charging device. In step 3120, the universalbattery attempts to negotiate with the power charging device for a powerparameter at which to accept power. If the power charging device isadapted to provide power only at a single fixed power parameter, thatpower parameter may be communicated to the battery. If the universalbattery can accept power at the required power parameter, the batterysends an acknowledgement in response. If the power charging device isadapted to provide power at a range of power parameters, the device andthe battery will negotiate at step 3120 for a specific power parameterthat is amenable to both.

Once a specific power parameter is agreed, the battery may beginaccepting power at the agreed power parameter at 3150. Similarly, thepower charging device may also begin configuration to begin providingpower at the agreed power parameters at 3160. For a variety of reasons,such as if the battery requires power to be provided at a range outsideof the range of the power charging device, the negotiations processfails. If negotiations fail, the battery may refrain from acceptingpower at step 3140, and the power charging device may also refrain fromproviding power at 3045.

According to an embodiment, it may sometimes be convenient for aplurality of universal batteries to couple with a power consuming deviceor a power charging device. FIG. 3C shows an exemplary process throughwhich a plurality of universal batteries may negotiate with and providepower to a power consuming device. FIG. 3D shows an exemplary processthrough which a plurality of universal batteries may negotiate with andaccept power from a power charging device. For the most parts, the stepsin FIGS. 3C and 3D are analogous to the steps shown in FIGS. 3A and 3Bthough some differences do exist. For example, in FIG. 3C, steps 3220,3250, and 3260 may be different from steps 3020, 3050, and 3060 of FIG.3A. Similarly, in FIG. 3D, steps 3320, 3350, and 3360 may also bedifferent from steps 3120, 3150, and 3160 in FIG. 3B.

Where a plurality of batteries are involved, according to an embodiment,the plurality of batteries may negotiate at step 3220 or 3320, with theelectronic device as a group. In an embodiment, the negotiations may beexplicitly carried out by a coordinating battery and the power consumingdevice. For example, the plurality of batteries may first negotiateamongst themselves to designate a coordinating battery. The coordinatingbattery then negotiates with the power consuming device on behalf of theother batteries for power parameters at which each will output and/oraccept power.

According to an alternative embodiment, the plurality of batteries maynegotiate at step 3220 or 3320, with the electronic device independentlybetween each of the batteries and the electronic device. In anembodiment, when a battery is coupled to an electronic device, thebattery and the electronic device will proceed to negotiate with eachother independently of any of the other of the plurality of batteriescoupled to or that might be coupled to the device.

Irrespective of whether the negotiations is accomplished collectively(such as through a coordinating battery) or individually (such as thatcarried out independently), the power requirements under which each ofthe plurality of batteries agrees to operate may or may not be the same.Also, depending on the actual parameters negotiated, the electronicdevice may connect the batteries in parallel or in series.

In an embodiment with two batteries, two batteries configured to outputthe same voltage may be connected in parallel. Two batteries configuredto output the same current may be connected in series, according toanother embodiment. In an embodiment involving three batteries, two ofthe batteries may be connected in series while a third in parallel inone embodiment. According to another embodiment, all three may beconnected in series. According to yet another embodiment, all threebatteries may be connected in parallel also.

According to a specific embodiment involving two batteries, when twoexemplary universal batteries rated for 0-3 volts and 0-500 mA arecoupled to an exemplary power consuming device that requires 3 volts and400 mA, the power consuming device may negotiate for one of thebatteries to output power at 3 volts and 300 mA and the other to outputpower at 3 volts and 100 mA. In the embodiment, the power consumingdevice would connect the two batteries in parallel, wherein thebatteries in the parallel combination would give rise to a total poweroutput of 3 volts and 400 mA.

In another embodiment, the power consuming device would connect the twobatteries in parallel and negotiate for both of the batteries to outputpower at 3 volts and 200 mA, giving rise to the same total power outputof 3 volts and 400 mA. In yet another embodiment, the power consumingdevice may connect the two batteries in series and negotiate to have onebatteries output power at 2 volts and 400 mA and the other at 1 volt and400 mA, giving rise to the same total power output of 3 volts and 400mA. In another embodiment, the power consuming device may connect thetwo batteries in series and negotiate to have both of the batteriesoutput power at 1.5 volts and 400 mA, giving rise to the same totalpower output of 3 volts and 400 mA.

In yet another embodiment, the power consuming device may only connectone of the two batteries and negotiate to one output power at 3 voltsand 400 mA, with the other disconnected and serving as a backup. In theembodiment, when the one battery becomes drained, a user may be notifiedto replace the battery while the second or backup battery may beconnected and configure to output power at 3 volts and 400 mA. Manyother possibilities exist, with similar analogous embodiments applyingalso for coupling with power charging devices.

In general, in embodiments such as those illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B,3C, and 3D, each battery may negotiate for power parameters based on oneof several constraints or goals. For example, when a battery is coupledto a power consuming device, the negotiations may be adapted to drainenergy from the battery in constrained ways to help lengthen the timeneeded until the next recharge. In some battery types, for a fixed powerrequirement, outputting power at a threshold voltage or thresholdcurrent may help to also lengthen overall battery life.

If multiple batteries are involved, load balancing among batteries mayalso become important. For example, to extend time until the batterieswould have to be recharged, it may be more preferable to distributepower load more evenly among the plurality of batteries in someembodiments. On the other hand, if the need is to provide for backuppower sources, it may be more preferable to concentrate load on somebatteries, setting aside others as reserve power sources.

When batteries are coupled to power charging devices, the batteries maysimilarly negotiate for power parameters based on one of several otherconstraints or goals. For example, according to one embodiment,minimizing recharge time and extending battery life may be importantgoals. To decrease charging time, for example, the batteries may need tobe charged at a high power setting. To extend battery life, thebatteries may need to be charged under a more modest power load. Theoptimal load for a battery may be further optimized for each battery bymodel, brand and/or type. In an embodiment, a charging device mayconcentrate power on a few batteries to quickly charge those batteriesso some batteries are quickly made available while the rest of thebatteries are charged at a more moderate rate.

Another aspect of the invention relates to determining a battery'scharge state. In an embodiment, the assessment may be carried out bymeasuring several properties of a battery and the battery's environment.According to an embodiment, the measurements may be taken either whilethe battery is charging or discharging or both. According to anotherembodiment, the measurements may involve the same measurements taken toassess quality assessments of a battery's core described above.

FIG. 4A shows a perspective view of various sensors adapted to measureproperties of the battery that may be useful to determine a battery'scharge state. In one embodiment, the battery may be provided withsensors 209 adapted to measure the pressure and temperature or thevoltage and current flowing into or out of battery core 202. In anotherembodiment, the battery may also be provided with sensors 209.e that maybe fitted along battery shell 201 to measure various ambient propertiesof the battery, including ambient humidity and temperature. Sensorterminal 204 may be adapted to conduct signals from sensors toelectrical component 208 and vice versa.

In an embodiment, to better assess the charge state or quality of abattery, measurements of battery characteristics such as voltage andcurrent or pressure and temperature may be correlated with a power load.For example, the fact that the temperature of a battery core is at acertain threshold may not mean much unless that temperature iscorrelated with a power input or output at the given temperature.

Measurements of battery characteristics may also be normalized againstenvironmental factors. Trends in the observed characteristics may,according to an embodiment, be used to assess a battery's quality state,charge state, or other characteristics. According to another embodiment,a battery may also use trends in recorded power usage to estimate futurepower needs of a battery. According to an embodiment, a battery may beadapted to provide, based upon various measurements from the sensors andrecorded trends, an estimated time to until a battery will becomecharged if the battery is undergoing charging or a time until a batterywill become drained if the battery is providing power.

In a specific embodiment, the pressure and temperature of the core maybe first normalized against a measured power load. The normalizedmeasurements may further be adjusted for environmental factors such ashumidity and temperature. If the normalized and adjusted pressure andtemperature measurements is monitored to rise above or fall below apredetermined threshold, the observation could be used to deriveimportant information regarding a battery's charge state, quality, orother characteristics. Similar assessments can be done for the voltageand current.

For example, if the voltage and current, normalized for a power load andadjusted for environmental factors such as humidity and temperature, ismonitored to rise above or fall fellow certain thresholds, themeasurements could similarly be used by themselves, or in conjunctionwith the pressure and temperature measurements described earlier, toderive important information about a battery's quality, charge state, orother characteristics.

According to an embodiment, the assessment of charge state, quality, orother characteristics may be carried out by the battery itself or byexternal entities such as host machines and accessory devices. In anembodiment where the external entities are adapted carry out theassessments, the external entities may not have direct access tointernal properties of the batteries such as pressure and temperature ofthe battery core useful in assessing various characteristics of abattery. In one embodiment, the battery may be adapted to communicatemeasurements of internal properties (obtained from internal sensors suchas 209 and 209.e) to the external entities. In another embodiment, theexternal entities may rely on external measurements of batteryproperties to infer the battery's internal measurements. In yet anotherembodiment, the assessment of a battery's charge state, quality, orother characteristics may be derived from external measurements alone.

In general, according to an embodiment, information may be passed amongthe batteries, power consuming devices, and power charging devices. Inone embodiment, the batteries may be adapted to communicate thebattery's internal measurements of internal properties such as voltage,current, temperature and pressure to external entities to the externalentities. In another embodiment, the batteries may be adapted tocommunicate the battery's own assessment of the battery's quality,charge state or other characteristics to the external entities.

According to an embodiment, the communication among the batteries andthe external entities may in general take place either directly or maybe relayed. In one embodiment, the batteries may be adapted tocommunicate information directly with the directly coupledentities—usually either a host machine or an accessory device. Inanother embodiment, information to and from a battery may be adapted tobe relayed through other external entities, such as another host machineor another accessory device, as appropriate.

In an embodiment, when a battery detects that it is about to run out ofcharge, it may signal to the coupled accessory device of theinformation. The accessory device may in turn relay the information to ahost machine, which may in turn alert a user of the situation. Forexample, if a battery is about to run out of charge, the host machinemay be adapted to alert a user of that fact for the user to takeappropriate actions. A user may for example need to save his work if itturns out that the temporary decommissioning of a wireless peripheralwhile a battery is being recharged or replaced is too big an obstacle tocontinue with work.

In one embodiment, once alerted that a battery is about to becomedischarged, a user may save his work, locate the accessory devices withthe drained batteries, and place the battery or batteries into thecharging slot(s) on a host machine for immediate recharging. In anotherembodiment, a host machine may be adapted to provide an estimated timeto discharge. In the embodiment, a host machine may correlate the chargestate of the battery with the power requirements of the device to whichthe battery is coupled to offer a predicted time until the battery willneed to be recharged.

For batteries with less than a few hours of time left until the batterywill need to be recharged but is in no danger of immediate discharge, ahost machine may be adapted to remind a user when a user logs out toplace those batteries in the host machines to recharge so the batterieswill be ready with a complete charge when the user logs in to use thehost machine the next time.

FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary process involved in assessing abattery's charge state when a battery is connected to a power consumingdevice. In the first step, user preferences may be obtained as part ofthe initialization process in step 4005. In step 4010, measurements ofbattery and environmental properties may be obtained. In one embodiment,the temperature and pressure of the battery core, the temperature andhumidity of the ambient environment, and the current and voltage ofpower flowing out of the battery may all be measured.

In step 4020, the historical profiles of battery and environmentalproperties, if available, may be obtained. These records can be usefulin interpreting the various measurements presently obtained. Forexample, as batteries age, the temperature and pressure of a batterycore per unit of power load may change. Correlating trends of suchchanges may help in more accurately inferring a charge state. Inaddition, in step 4030, the charge history of the battery may also beobtained.

For some batteries, battery properties may degrade with the number ofcharge cycles. Age thus may sometimes be better characterized by thenumber of charge cycles, possibly in combination with the trends ofchanges in battery properties as measured in step 4020. In step 4040,the charge state of a battery may be assessed based on a combination ofthe information obtained and processed in steps 4010 to 4030. In step4050, if it is assessed that the battery is about to be imminentlydischarged, depending on user preferences, the system may alert the userin step 4070. In a specific embodiment, depending partly on the userpreferences obtained in step 4005, the user may be alerted by a messagedisplayed on a computer screen, a text message sent to a user's cellphone, and/or an email sent to the user.

In another embodiment, if the battery state is communicated to awireless accessory device, the device may relay the information toanother device, such as the host machine, that may better communicatethe message to a user. In yet another embodiment, if the battery stateis evaluated by the battery, the battery may send a message to thewireless accessory device or the host machine to which it is coupled. Ifthe message is relayed to an accessory device, the accessory device maybe adapted to further forward the information to another device, such asthe host machine, that can better communicate with a user, as describedabove. In step 4060, status information regarding the current chargestate of batteries may be communicated to users, depending, according toone embodiment, on user preferences obtained in step 4005.

FIG. 4C illustrates an exemplary process involved in assessing abattery's charge state when a battery is connected to a power chargingdevice. In the first step, user preferences may be obtained as part ofthe initialization process in step 4105. In step 4110, measurements ofbattery and environmental properties may be obtained. In one embodiment,the temperature and pressure of the battery core, the temperature andhumidity of the ambient environment, and the current and voltage ofpower flowing into the battery may all be measured.

In step 4120, the historical profiles of battery and environmentalproperties, if available, may be obtained. These records can be usefulin interpreting the various measurements presently obtained. Forexample, as batteries age, the temperature and pressure of a batterycore per unit of power charge may change. Correlating trends of suchchanges to age may help in more accurately inferring a battery's chargestates.

In addition, in step 4130, the charge history of the battery may also beobtained. For some batteries, battery properties may degrade with thenumber of charge cycles. Age thus may sometimes be better characterizedby the number of charge cycles, possibly in combination with the trendsof changes in battery properties as measured in step 4120. In step 4140,the charge state of a battery may be assessed based on a combination ofthe information obtained and processed in steps 4110 to 4130. At step4145, power is delivered to recharge the battery. In step 4150, if it isassessed that charging should stop, the system terminates charging instep 4170.

In general, the decisions on when to stop charging may be optimized fora variety of goals and depend partly on user preferences. For example,if a user specifies that the battery should be charged to the battery'sfullest capacity, charging would stop, according to one embodiment, whenthe battery is completely charged. However, if the user specifies tomaximize the lifetimes of batteries, charging may need to stop short ofa full complete charge.

Similarly, the rate at which a battery is charged may also changedepending on user goals. In an embodiment, a battery may be charged at aregular and fast rate. While users probably typically prefer fastrecharge rates, sometimes a slower rate may be preferred to maximizebattery lifetimes.

In another embodiment, the rate at which batteries are charged may alsochange based on information derived from the battery, allowing a batteryto be charged at different rates based on feedback from the battery asthe battery is being charged. In one embodiment, the information fromthe battery may comprise information such as battery's current andvoltage input or output. In another embodiment, the information mayinclude a battery core's temperature and core pressure response inresponse to a charging (intake) or discharging (outtake) load. In anembodiment, a battery might be initialized charged at a fast rate, butas the core heats up, the rate may be slowed as appropriate to protectthe battery.

Another aspect of charging involves the determination of when to performa recondition on a battery. According to an embodiment, some batteriesmay need to be completely discharged or reconditioned everypredetermined number of charge/discharge cycles. According to anembodiment, the decision whether to undergo reconditioning may be basedon assessments of measurements of the battery's core. According to aspecific embodiment, batteries may undergo reconditioning based ontemperature and pressure response of the battery core in response to aknown power intake (charge) or power outtake (discharge). According toanother embodiment, batteries may undergo reconditioning based on thenumber charge/discharge cycles.

FIG. 5A shows a state diagram of the major states of a universalrechargeable battery in accordance with an embodiment of the currentinvention. When a rechargeable battery is not connected to any device,the battery may be at Rest State 5000. At Rest State, the battery maynot normally emit any power except for periodically entering NegotiationState 5005. In one embodiment, upon entering Negotiation State 5005, thebattery may emit a low voltage handshake to attempt to initiatenegotiations with an electronic device.

In an embodiment, a battery may be prevented from entering NegotiationState 5005 unless objects emanating specific patterns of magnetic fieldsare brought into contact or in close proximity with the battery. In oneembodiment, the specific patterns of magnetic fields may becharacterized by a threshold strength and orientation of flux. In aspecific embodiment, the battery may include a special magnetic safetyswitch which is activated only in the presence of special magneticfields and which enables the battery to enter into Negotiation State5005 only when activated.

According to an embodiment where a battery is coupled to a powerconsuming device, if the battery successfully negotiates for a set ofpower parameters at which to output power, the battery may enter OutputState 5010 and proceed to output power at the negotiated power outputparameters. If the battery is removed from the power consuming device,the battery may go back into Rest State 5000. If the power becomesdepleted, the battery may shut down and go into Negotiations State 5005,attempting to look for and negotiate with another power charging device.

According to an embodiment where a battery is coupled to a powercharging device, if the battery successfully negotiates for a set ofpower parameters at which to receive power at 5005, the battery mayproceed to accept power at the negotiated power parameters in state5030. Upon recharge 5040, the battery may enter into Rest State 5000. Ifa power consuming device with the proper magnetic field signature isthen brought nearby a battery at Rest State 5000, the battery may enterinto state 5005 to attempt negotiations with the power consuming devicefor a set of power parameters at which to provide power to the powerconsuming device. If the battery successfully negotiates for a set ofpower parameters at which to output power, the battery may enter OutputState 5010, as described above. In the absence of any magnetic signatureof any electronic device, the battery may remain at Rest State 5000.

If any of negotiations above—whether with a power consuming or powercharging device—fails for any reason, the battery may enter into SafetyShutoff State 5020. In Safety Shutoff State 5020, the battery core canbe disconnected from the battery terminals. Accordingly, according to anembodiment, even if an accidental short were to develop while a batteryis in 5005, such as by a magnetic metallic object, between the terminalsof a battery, the power should be switched off soon enough that no majordamage or power drain results.

In general, according to an embodiment, negotiation may fail for manyreasons. In one embodiment, as just discussed, negotiations may failbecause the battery is not connected to any device but is insteadshorted by a metallic, magnetic object. In another embodiment, thebattery may be coupled to a device but negotiations may fail because thedevice and the battery do not share common range of power parameters forcompatible operations. In another embodiment, negotiations may failbecause the battery is coupled to a device in an incorrectconfiguration.

FIGS. 5B-5I illustrate several functional schematics of an embodiment ofa universal battery. FIG. 5B illustrates the functional schematics ofResting State 5000 of an exemplary universal battery 500. Asillustrated, an exemplary battery includes metallic posts 501 and 502,four switches (Switch 1 504, Switch 2 505, Switch 3 506, and Switch 4507) that serve a variety of purposes that will be described in moredetail below, Communications and Control Circuit 510, a configurablePower Transmission Circuit depicted as Low Voltage Circuit 511, aconfigurable Power Transmission Circuit depicted as Full Voltage Circuit512, and Battery Core 513.

The Low Voltage and Full Voltage circuits may represent electricalcomponents that allow connections between the battery core and a coupledelectronic device to be configured at various power settings orparameters. In an embodiment, Low Voltage Circuit 511 allows a minimumthreshold of power to pass between battery core 513 and the electronicdevice. According to an embodiment, a low power signal may be used forthe initial handshake communication between a universal battery and anelectronic device before the power parameters of either the battery orthe devices has been ascertained. Full Voltage Circuit 512 allowseffective power transmission of electricity between battery core 513 andthe electronic device at various power parameters. According to oneembodiment, the full voltage mode should be allowed only after the powerparameters of the electronic device to which a battery is coupled havebeen ascertained.

According to an embodiment, during Resting State 5000, switches 1 and 2(504 and 505, respectively) are normally open, whereas switches 3 and 4(506 and 507, respectively) are normally closed, as depicted in FIG. 5B.In the exemplary embodiment, Switch 1 504 may be adapted to close onlyin the presence of specific magnetic fields, and Switch 2 505 is adaptedto close only after the battery has successfully negotiated with anexternal device to accept or output power. Since both switches 1 and 2(504 and 505, respectively) are normally open, neither the Low VoltageCircuit nor the Full Voltage Circuit is normally engaged during the RestState. Consequently, there is normally no power drain, neitherexternally nor internally, when during the Rest State.

FIG. 5C illustrates the functional schematics of the initial handshakenegotiation of exemplary universal battery 500. The initial handshakemay occur when a battery is first connected to electronic device 560. Inthe embodiment, the initial handshake process may begin with the batteryascertaining whether it is connected to an intelligent device adapted tofunction with a universal battery. If it is, according to theembodiment, the battery next determines whether the electronic device isa power consuming or power charging device. In the case where it isboth, the battery will determine which mode, power consuming or powercharging, the device is currently in. If the device is a power consumingdevice or in a power consuming mode, the battery may negotiate with thedevice for a set of power parameters at which the battery will outputpower to the power consuming device. If the device is a power chargingdevice, the battery may negotiate for power parameters at which thecharging device will receive power from the battery charging device.

In an embodiment, the electronic device 560 can comprise magnetic posts550 and 551 which emit a specific magnetic field that closes magneticSwitch 1 504 on the battery. According to another embodiment, only oneof posts 550 and 551 needs to be magnetic. According to yet anotherembodiment, only a portion of one post needs to be magnetic. In anycase, according to the embodiment, the idea is to generate a strongmagnetic flux capable of closing magnetic switch 504 on the battery.According to an embodiment, when magnetic Switch 1 504 is closed, LowVoltage Circuit 511 is connected to electronic device 560. At thisstage, only a very low power signal may be allowed to be transmittedbetween the universal battery and intelligent device 560, as depicted bythe engagement (darkened path) of Low Voltage Circuit 511 in FIG. 5C.

In general, according to an embodiment, Low Voltage Circuit 511 mayserve at least two purposes. In one embodiment, the circuit may preventpermanent damage to the battery or the shorting objects (includingliving tissues) that inadvertently come in contact with the batteryterminals. According to an embodiment, the circuit may allow a batteryto couple and to initiate handshake communications with a powerconsuming electronic devices before the power ratings of the powerconsuming device has been established. In another embodiment, thecircuit can allow a power charging device to allow the battery toinitiate handshake communications with the power charging electronicbefore the power charging device has had the opportunity to assess thepower ratings of the battery.

FIG. 5D shows the functional schematics of a successful connection stateaccording to a specific embodiment of the invention. In this mode ofoperation, effective power transmission can be conducted between thebattery and the coupled device. The power delivered may be either by abattery for powering a power consuming device or by a charging devicefor charging a battery. As can be seen, upon successful negotiation ofpower parameters, the battery may open Switch 4 507 and close Switch 2505, disconnecting the electrical terminals from Low Voltage Circuit 511and connecting the electrical terminals to the Full Voltage Circuit 512.

According to an embodiment, Full Voltage Circuit 512 can then connectthe battery terminals 501 and 502 to battery core at the agreed uponpower parameters. If the electronic device is a power consuming device,power may be drawn from the battery core 513 through Full VoltageCircuit 512 to electronic device 560 at the agreed upon powerparameters. If the electronic device is a power consuming device, powermay be transferred from electronic device 560 through Voltage Circuit512 to battery core 513 at the agreed upon power parameters. In anembodiment, the electronic device (either a power consuming device or acharging device) may possess safety Switch 554 as a redundancy feature.The switch may close only upon successful negotiation of powerparameters with the battery to ensure that power flows in the deviceside only upon successful negotiations of power parameters.

FIG. 5E shows the functional schematics of an accidental shorting of abattery's electrical terminals. In FIG. 5E, terminals 501 and 502 areshorted by a metallic object. According to an embodiment, the shortedcircuit may not cause any damage because in the absence of magneticfields, Switch 1 504 would remain open, disconnecting Low VoltageCircuit 511 as in FIG. 5B. According to the embodiment, no electricitycan accidentally flow from the battery core even when the terminals areshorted because the battery core is not connected to the batteryterminals.

In another embodiment, the short occurs in the presence of some ambientmagnetic fields. In one embodiment, the ambient field might emanatedirectly from the object causing the short, such as a magnetic, metallicobject 581. In another embodiment, the magnetic field may emanate fromother ambient sources. In any case, according to an embodiment, theexistence of the ambient fields does not matter because the magneticfields are not adapted to close Switch 1 504. The magnetic fields maynot be strong enough, or the magnetic flux may not be of the right type(e.g. orientation) to trigger the closing of Switch 1 504.

In another embodiment, the ambient magnetic fields might be of a typethat can interfere with and cause magnetic Switch 1 504 to accidentallyclose, as shown in FIG. 5E. According to the embodiment, even weremagnetic Switch 1 504 to accidentally close, little damage would resultbecause only a low power flow may be permitted to flow across magneticobject 581. Because Switch 2 505 is normally open in the absence of anaffirmative confirmation of a successful negotiations, the battery coremay be connected to the battery terminals only through Low voltageCircuit 511. According to the embodiment, since a stray object causingthe short usually do not have the capability to negotiate with thebattery, Full Voltage Circuit 512 would usually not be engaged when theterminals of a battery are accidentally shorted by a stray object.Consequently, when the battery is accidentally shorted, the worst thatmay result may be a low powered short that, according to the embodiment,causes little if any damage.

According to an embodiment, what little chance for damage that mayresult from a low powered short may be even further reduced because alow powered short may be allowed only for a short period of time. Asdescribed earlier, batteries in Rest State periodically send a lowvoltage signal to attempt to negotiate with a coupled electronicsdevice. According one embodiment, the low powered short of FIG. 5E maycorrespond to Negotiation State 5005 depicted in FIG. 5A. If negotiationfails for any reason, as when a short occurs, the battery will enterSafety ShutOff State and re-enter Rest State.

FIG. 5F shows the functional schematics of the shorting of a battery'selectrical terminals when the low voltage circuit has been disconnected,such as after a Safety Shutoff has been initiated. In the embodiment, amagnetic, conductive object 581 placed across metallic posts 501 and 502causes a short for a short time. After the battery has not explicitlyreceived a successful negotiation acknowledgement, the battery re-opensSwitch 3 506. The opening of the switch, according to one embodiment,cuts off the low power flow of electricity after a predetermined time.The short is terminated when the battery enters into Safety ShutoffState 5020 and Rest State 5000.

FIG. 5G shows the functional schematics of the shorting of a battery'selectrical terminals when the low voltage circuit has been disconnected.In the embodiment, a magnetic, conductive object 581 placed acrossmetallic posts 501 and 502 causes a short for a short time. However,since conductive object 581 is not magnetic in this embodiment, switch504 is open, cutting off any flow of electricity. The short accordinglydoes not cause any damage or injury.

FIG. 5H illustrates the coupling of a battery to an electronic devicewith a complementary type of battery and in a correct configuration. Anaspect of the current invention involves the use of physical formfactors to enhance proper and safe coupling between a battery and anelectronic device. To reduce the risk of inadvertent power flows, abattery may also be adapted to conduct power through inductive meanssuch as through magnetic fields.

As illustrated in FIG. 5H, one embodiment involves associating terminalleads of a particular physical form factor with a specific type ofbattery. For example, each of two terminals of a battery of a specifictype can be designed to feature a specific length. In an embodiment, theform factor of the terminal leads includes complementary form factorssuch that for the terminal leads to form a proper electrical conductingcircuit, the electronic device must be coupled to the battery of thecorrect type and in a correct configuration.

FIG. 5I illustrates the coupling of a battery to an electronic device ofan incompatible type or in an incorrect configuration. As isillustrated, when a battery of an incorrect type is coupled with theelectronic device or when a battery is coupled with an electronic devicein an incorrect configuration, no proper electrical coupling may beformed between the universal battery and the electronic device.

Another aspect of the current invention involves the use of the sameelectrical path for transmitting and receiving communications signalsand for transmitting and receiving power signals between a device and abattery. In one embodiment, because the communications and powers signaltravel over the same electrical path, special precautions may need to betaken to make sure they do not interfere with each other. In a firstembodiment, two separate time windows may be reserved for transmittingcommunications signals and for transmitting power signals. In a secondembodiment, the communications signal may be modulated over the powersignal during a common time window.

FIG. 6A depicts the transmission of a low voltage communications signalaccording to an embodiment of the invention. One benefit of transmittingcommunications signals at low voltage levels is that low voltage signalsallow devices and batteries to communicate with each other each withouteach having to ascertain the power capabilities of each other first. Thetransmission of signals take place at low enough powers that there islittle chance of damage to each other regardless of what the powerrating of each turn out to be. Negotiations may take place during thisphase. Once the power parameters are agreed upon, the battery and thedevice may go into transmitting high voltage power at a subsequent timewindow.

The transmissions shown in FIG. 6A are broken into 8 distinct windows oftransmission 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, and 607. In an embodiment,the first window of transmission 601 may represent the initial window oftransmission by an intelligent, universal battery when first connectedto an electronic device. A constant low voltage probing signal may besent by the battery when magnetic fluxes from the device have closedSwitch 1 504 as discussed above in FIGS. 5C and 5E. When the batteryrecognizes that a device is connected, the initial probing low voltagesignal may be turned off, as shown in time window 602, beginning awindow of prelude before negotiations communication begins.

According to an embodiment, at the end of time window 602, the batterymay begin transmitting a digital signal representing a sequence of 0 and1 bits. The low voltage signal may be pulse width modulated signals, asshown, or may be encoded by other schemes, including amplitude orfrequency modulated schemes. After the battery completes transmitting afirst series of signals, the battery may return to outputting a lowvoltage signal in time window 604 similar to that transmitted in timewindow 601. Next, it may be the device's chance to responds with itsseries of signals.

At some preset time, the battery may stop transmitting the low voltagesignal, and the system may enter into a window of silence of time window605 similar to the window of prelude 602. The device commencestransmitting signals to the battery in time window 606. This signal fromthe device to the battery may represent an acknowledgement of anagreement if the device agrees with a power setting at which to operatesuggested in a prior transmission from the battery. After the signalshave been transmitted, the device may return to transmitting a constantlow signal in time window 607.

The cycle may begin again as the device silences and the battery adaptedto send a second series of signals or acknowledgement transmissionsafterwards. If all goes well, the battery-device system may terminatecommunications and enter into full power transmission mode. According toone embodiment, periodically during the full power transmission mode,the power transmitting device—either a battery or a power chargingdevice—may need to shut off power temporarily to allow the battery anddevice to communicate with each other. In an embodiment, the battery mayneed to communicate with a power consuming device to check to seewhether the current power settings at which power is output are stilladequate. If the power settings are not adequate, a new round ofnegotiation for power parameters may be required.

In another embodiment, the battery may need to communicate with a powerconsuming device to signal that the battery is about to run out ofpower. The device may have to take preemptive action, such as storingsettings or alerting a user, if an imminent power shutoff is expected.In another embodiment, a battery may need to communicate with a powercharging device to convey the fact that the battery is charged and thatthe charging device may stop transferring power.

To minimize the disruption caused by the temporary termination of highpower transmission to either a device or a battery, a capacitor-basedsystem can be incorporated into the device or battery according to anembodiment. According to an embodiment, the capacitor system should atleast store enough power to power the communication circuitry of thedevice or battery. Energy stored on a capacitor system onboard a batteryshould preferably enable the communication system on the battery tooperate without tapping into the energy reserve in the battery core.This can reduce unnecessary load on the battery core and potentiallyincrease battery life.

On the electronic device side, energy stored on a capacitor system onboard a device should preferably enable the device to communicate evenwhen no effective power is being transferred from the battery to thedevice. In another embodiment, the capacity of the capacitor onboard adevice may be made even larger to enable the system to power the deviceduring the communicative phase so little to no power interruption to thedevice results even as the battery-device system enters into periodiccommunications phase.

FIG. 6B illustrates the transmission of a high voltage communicationssignal according to another embodiment of the invention. Unlike theembodiment shown in FIG. 6A, the communications signals can be modulatedat full power transmission voltage in FIG. 6B. In the embodiment, whenbattery and device enters into periodic communications phase, thecommunications transmission may be adapted to take place at the fulltransmission voltage, in this case 6.2V. Whereas the effective powertransmission carried by a low voltage communications signal such as thatshown in FIG. 6A may be nearly zero, the effective power transmissioncarried by the high voltage communications signal in FIG. 6B can be onaverage 50% of the full power transmission mode, irrespective of thestatistical frequencies of 1 and 0's (this a characteristic of anembodiment of width modulated signals as depicted here).

Increasing the effective power transmission during communication modecan greatly reduce the impact communication mode has on effective powertransmissions between the battery and device. To further reduce theimpact communication mode has on effective power transmissions betweenthe battery and device, the system may further incorporate acapacitor-based system similar to the one discussed above for FIG. 6A. Ahigh-voltage communications mode may not be implemented in all systems.According to one embodiment, the battery and device should haveascertained each other's power ratings first to ensure that thehigh-voltage communications signals will not inadvertently damage eachother.

FIG. 6C illustrates the modulation of a communications signal over apower signal according to another embodiment of the invention. In thisembodiment, signal transmissions between a battery and a device may beadapted to take place over the same time. The battery-device system maynot need to enter into a separate communicative phase and a separatepower transmissions phase as in the embodiments of FIGS. 6A and 6B. Inthe current embodiment, the communications signal may be superimposed or“piggy bagged” over the power transmission signal.

As shown on the left hand side of the figure, according to anembodiment, the power signal may be transmitted at a full voltage of6.2V DC signal. When a communications signal is overlaid over the basepower signal, the resulting signal may fluctuate between 6.2+a volts and6.2−b volts, as shown on the right on side of the figure, where a and brepresent part of the amplitude of the communications signal. Accordingto an embodiment, the overall amplitude a+b is preferably small comparedwith the full power voltage, i.e. 6.2.

One advantage of the current embodiment is the reduction of disruptionsto power transmission between the battery and device. Because thebattery-device system may no longer need to undergo a communicationsphase where power is cut off, power can be transmitted 100% of the time.One potential disadvantage of such a system is the interference thatcould arise from the simultaneous transmission of power andcommunications signal. A sensitive battery may require to be charged atprecisely 6.2V; a sensitive device may similarly require to be poweredat precisely 6.2V. For such systems, the fluctuation of power between6.2-b volts and 6.2+a volts may be too large and cause undesirableeffects to the operations for certain power sensitive batteries anddevices.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a negotiation process between anelectronic device and a universal battery. In an exemplary embodiment, auniversal battery at Rest State may be initially activated at 700 tonegotiate for power parameters with a proximally located electronicdevice. In the embodiment, the electronic device may have been adaptedto emit a specific magnetic field that to activated the battery. At 705,the battery initiate transmission of a low voltage handshakecommunications signals to an electronic device awaiting a handshakesignal to be sent.

In an alternative embodiment, it is the electronic device that may beadapted to initialize the handshake process, with the battery waitingfor a handshake signal to be sent. In either case, according to acurrent embodiment, the receiving device—whether a battery or adevice—can be expected to send an acknowledgement in response toreceiving an invitation to negotiate. In the embodiment, the negotiationprocess can proceed only when an acknowledgement is transmitted andreceived at 710. If no acknowledgement is transmitted and received at710, the battery and the electronic device may disconnect from eachother at 725. If an acknowledgement of the handshake is received, thenegotiation process may proceed where the battery and the electronicdevice negotiates to find a common range of acceptable power parametersat which to operate at 715.

If at step 720 the negotiation results in an agreed set of powerparameters, the battery and device may establish a high voltageconnection at the agreed parameters between each other at 730. If thedevice is a power consuming device, the battery may begin outputtingpower and the device may begin accepting power at the agreed parameters.Alternatively, if the electronic device is a power supplying device(e.g., a battery charger), the battery may begin accepting power fromthe charger and the charger may begin to providing power to the batteryat the agreed parameters. If no agreement of power parameters isreached, the battery and the device may disconnect from each other atstep 725, preventing further power transmissions between the batterycore and the charging device.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary embodiment of the current invention where aplurality of host machines are grouped together to form a network ofhost machines 800 and 801. In one embodiment, each host machine 810,820, 830, 840, and 850 can be adapted to identify a battery by a batteryid and store a local charging history associated with the battery id. Inthe embodiment, each host machine may also be adapted to share its localcopies of charging histories with other host machines on the network.

The sharing of the charging histories may occur over a peer-to-peernetwork or a server-client network. In a peer-to-peer network, when ahost machine needs to access a complete charging history of a battery,the host machine may query each of the other host machines for theircopies of charging histories to form an aggregated copy of charginghistories. In a sever-client network, the host machine may query aserver machine for an aggregated copy of charging histories previouslyaggregated from each of the host machines by the server.

An exemplary aspect of the invention involves the use of a network ofhost machines cooperating together to increase the availability ofcharged rechargeable batteries when a drained battery is detected. In astandalone setup, when a battery coupled with a mobile or wirelessdevice of a host machine is drained, a user may be directed to a slot onthe host machine for a charged battery of a compatible type that theuser can quickly swap. When no such battery can be found on the hostmachine, however, the user would have had to recharge the drainedbattery and wait for the battery to charge before the device containingthe drained battery can be brought online again.

In a current embodiment, the user may not have to wait even when acharged battery of a compatible type cannot be found on the hostmachine. In one embodiment, the user may now access not just batterieson the user's host machine, but also the pool of batteries held by allhost machines belonging in a network of host machines of which theuser's host machine is a part. In an embodiment, the host machine mayquery the network of host machines to determine whether another hostmachine contains a charged battery of a type compatible with the drainedbattery. If the host machine successfully identifies another hostmachine containing a charged battery that can be swapped with thedrained battery, the host machine may be adapted to communicate thatinformation to the user. The user can then swap the drained battery withthe battery located in the network.

If multiple charged batteries of a specific type can be found on thenetwork, the host machine may be configured to sort a listing ofbatteries according to some criterion. The host machine may also suggesta particular that according to some criterion which battery to swap. Inan embodiment, host machines on the same floor as the user might bepreferred over host machines in other floors. Alternatively, hostmachines in one hall might be preferred over host machines in otherhalls. Host machines belonging to one group or department might also bepreferred over host machines in other groups or departments. Hostmachines with more “surplus” of batteries might also be preferred overhost machines with less “surplus” of batteries. In another embodiment,host machines with lighter work loads (hence less need to keep a largereserves of “surplus” batteries) might be preferred over host machineswith greater work loads. According to another embodiment, host machinesmay also be adapted to allow a user to specify a list of preferredmachines and to suggest batteries belonging in the preferred list.According to another embodiment, batteries may be ordered based on theirquality or charging histories.

As batteries are moved around, the various battery management functionsthat are managed by individual host machines, including the managementof the rate at which a battery is charged and the time when a batteryneeds to be reconditioned, may also be implemented by a network of hostmachines. Despite the movement of the batteries across host machines,the charging histories and other information useful for batterymanagement may be adapted to “float” through the network with thebattery as a battery is moved around the network. Host machinesbelonging to a network may for example be adapted to query the networkfor copies of charging histories for the battery. When a battery ismoved from one host machine to another host machine, the new hostmachine may thus to continue to access the histories and to carry outbattery management functions as if the battery had been used with thenew host machine all along.

Another aspect of the invention involves a method to enable batteries tobe serviced when the battery core or some of the other more perishableparts need to be replaced as the rest of the batteries are reused. FIG.9A shows an exemplary process by which a rechargeable battery may beserviced. As shown, in the first step 9010, a user may be alerted of aneed to replace or service a battery. The process may then splits intotwo branches. The left side of the branch, constituting steps 9030 to9070, shows an exemplary process by which a rechargeable battery may bereplaced by an end user. The right side of the branch, constitutingsteps 9130 to 9170, shows an exemplary process by which a rechargeablebattery may be serviced by an end user.

In step 9030, the user may need to replace a battery and can be directedto an e-commerce site to purchase a replacement battery. In theembodiment, the battery may have to be sent in because the replacementof the battery core, and/or other parts, is considered too complicatedto perform by the end user. In an embodiment, a recycling surcharge maybe issued in step 9040 for the purchase of a battery replacement.Recycling credits equaling the surcharge may be refunded when the userreturn the battery later when the battery needs to be replaced. Ingeneral, according to the embodiment, the new battery may be deliveredby mail or picked up in a retail store. When a user receives or picks upthe battery, the user may be provided an envelope or container in whichto return the old battery 9050.

When the manufacturer or recycler receives the old battery, the user canbe issued a recycling refund at step 9060. The refund may be creditedagainst the purchase price of the new battery or for future purchases ina network of e-commerce or retail establishments. At step 9070, themanufacturer or recycler can refurbish the battery by replacingcomponents including the battery core and reselling the battery again.Alternatively the manufacturer or recycler may destroy the battery,reusing and responsibly disposing as much of the battery's parts andmaterials as possible.

Step 9130 may begin a series of steps for the user to service thebattery directly. In step 9130, the user can be directed to ane-commerce site to purchase a replacement battery core or otherreplaceable components. In an embodiment, the host machine may beadapted to guide the user through the process. In an embodiment, a hostmachine may direct a user to an e-commerce website to purchase a batterycore replacement. In an embodiment, an e-commerce website address can beprovided to the user. In the embodiment, the e-commerce website addressmay be retrieved from the memory of the battery or the host machine. Inan alternative embodiment, the address may be obtained from a webservice.

Recycling credits can be given to provide an incentive for users toreturn the old core or other recyclable parts. In an embodiment, arecycling surcharge may be issued on the new battery core when the userpurchases a replacement core at step 9140. The replacement core may bedelivered by mail or can be picked up in a retail store. When the userreceives the battery core at step 9150, the user can be provided withinstructions and any necessary tools to replace the old battery core.The instructions should preferably be easy to follow, and the toolsshould be preferably easy to use.

An exemplary series of steps may include: removing the battery end cap,sliding the old battery core out of the battery shell, sliding into thebattery shell the new core, which snaps or locks into a predeterminedposition in the battery shell. The user may also be provided a returnenvelop or container in which to return or ship back the old batterycore. When the return envelope or container sent by the user is receivedby the manufacturer or designated recycler, the user can be issued arecycling refund at step 9160. The refund may be credited against thepurchase price of the new battery core or used against future purchasesin a network of e-commerce or retail establishments. In step 9170, themanufacturer or recycler may refurbish and resell the battery core ordestroy and recycle as much of the old core as possible.

FIG. 9B shows an exemplary process by which a rechargeable battery canbe replaced at a retail store kiosk. In step 9210, a user can be alertedof a need to service or replace a battery. User can then directed atstep 9220 to locations of local retail stores with kiosks adapted toreplace or service the old battery. At the kiosk in step 9230, user maydrop the old battery into the kiosk for servicing or replacement. Instep 9240, the kiosk can be adapted to service the old battery byreplacing the battery core of the old battery or by vending a compatiblebattery to replace the old battery.

In one embodiment, a kiosk at a retail store can contain a specializedtool attached to an automated mechanism. If the kiosk machine determinesthat the battery core can be replaced, the machine, potentially usingthe specialized tool, can remove the end cap without damaging thebattery components and drop the old battery core out of the shell intoan internal container used for collecting old cores to be recycled. Themachine can then take a new core from an internal supply that isperiodically monitored and replaced, insert the new core into the shell,replace the end cap, and run diagnostic tests to ensure that all is inworking order.

If the kiosk machine determines that the battery cannot be serviced byreplacing the core, it can select a new battery of a compatible type tovend to the user. At step 9250, the user may be charged a fee based onwhether the battery is serviced or replaced. In step 9260, the user canretrieve a battery, which may be the old battery with a new core or anew battery compatible to be used in place of the old battery.

In a specific embodiment of an exemplary process at a kiosk, thefollowing steps may be performed at a kiosk:

-   -   1) Push the two metallic posts out of the end cap and remove        attached entire electronic subassembly from the end cap.    -   2) Drop the end cap shell and attached structures into a        container for recycling.    -   3) Separate the electronic circuit from the metallic posts by        breaking attachments may couple the posts to the circuit and        extract components such as the magnetic switch and the        positive/negative power connections for recycling.    -   5) Remove the electronic circuit into a separate container for        proper disposal, or potentially further processing by external        equipment and procedures.    -   6) Print a ticket for the user containing an ID number        associated with the recycling credit granted to the user for        this procedure. The user can then use this ID number at a        physical or online retail purchase in the future. The machine        has a network connection that allows it to communicate with a        back-end system, that back-end system being the entity that        generated the ID number and other associated data structures        related to this recycling credit.    -   7) Alternatively, use the credit toward the purchase of a new        battery at the kiosk.

This section has discussed several embodiments of the invention relatingto the charging of batteries for wireless or mobile devices. Thedescriptions here are meant to be illustrative only and should not betaken to unnecessarily restrict the scope of the invention. While theseinventions have been described in the context of the above specificembodiments, other modifications and variations are possible. A personskilled in the arts would understand that many variations can be made tothese embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the scope and breadth of the present inventionshould not be limited by the specific embodiments described above andshould instead be determined by the following claims and their fullextend of equivalents.

1. A battery charging and monitoring system comprising: a host machineincluding a plurality of charging slots, wherein the host machine:communicates with a plurality of wireless devices through a plurality ofwireless links to monitor a first plurality of batteries, wherein theplurality of wireless devices are powered by the first plurality ofbatteries; holds a second plurality of batteries that have been fullycharged in the plurality of charging slots; communicates over a networkwith one or more remote host machines coupled to a third plurality ofbatteries; determines a battery type of a first battery in the firstplurality of batteries; finds in the second and third pluralities ofbatteries a second battery of a battery type compatible with the batterytype of the first battery; and communicates the location of the firstbattery and the location of the second battery.
 2. The battery chargingand monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the battery and monitoringsystem estimates a time until a battery in the first plurality ofbatteries will need to be recharged.
 3. The battery charging andmonitoring system of claim 2 wherein the battery and monitoring systemassesses the power usage of a device in the plurality of wirelessdevices based on a record of power usages of the plurality of wirelessdevices.
 4. The battery charging and monitoring system of claim 1wherein the battery and monitoring system minimizes downtime associatedwith recharging the first plurality of batteries, and the plurality ofcharging slots are further configured to: couple with a fourth pluralityof batteries; and charge the fourth plurality of batteries.
 5. Thebattery charging and monitoring system of claim 1 wherein each of thefirst plurality of batteries and each of the second plurality ofbatteries specifies a battery type.
 6. The battery charging andmonitoring system of claim 5 wherein each battery type specifies a rangeof power parameters.
 7. The battery charging and monitoring system ofclaim 5 wherein each battery type specifies a physical form factor.
 8. Abattery charging and monitoring system comprising: a host machine,wherein the host machine: communicates with a plurality of wirelessdevices through a plurality of wireless links to monitor a firstplurality of batteries, wherein the plurality of wireless devices arepowered by the first plurality of batteries; charges a second pluralityof batteries; holds in standby a third plurality of batteries that havebeen fully charged; determines a battery type of a first battery in thefirst plurality of batteries; finds in the third plurality of batteriesa second battery of a battery type compatible with the battery type ofthe first battery; and communicates the location of the first batteryand the location of the second battery.
 9. A battery charging andmonitoring system comprising: a host machine, wherein the host machine:communicates with a plurality of wireless devices through a plurality ofwireless links to monitor a first plurality of batteries, wherein theplurality of wireless devices are powered by the first plurality ofbatteries, charges a second plurality of batteries, holds in standby athird plurality of batteries that have been fully charged, assesses thequality of each of the first plurality of batteries and upon finding abattery of unfit quality, finds in the third plurality of batteries abattery of a compatible type, and communicates the location of thebattery of unfit quality and the location of the battery of a compatibletype.
 10. The battery charging and monitoring system of claim 8 whereinthe battery and monitoring system assesses the quality of each of thefirst plurality of batteries and each of the second plurality ofbatteries and upon finding a battery of unfit quality, communicates thelocation of battery of unfit quality.
 11. The battery charging andmonitoring system of claim 10 wherein the battery and monitoring systemdirects a user to an ecommerce site that sells rechargeable batteries ofa compatible type with the battery of unfit quality.
 12. The batterycharging and monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the battery andmonitoring system promotes recycling of batteries, wherein recyclingcredits are allocated for the return of the battery of unfit quality forrecycling.
 13. The battery charging and monitoring system of claim 12wherein the recycling credits can be exchanged for goods and services ina network of stores.
 14. The battery charging and monitoring system ofclaim 12 wherein the recycling credits can be donated to charitableorganizations.
 15. The battery charging and monitoring system of claim12 wherein the recycling credits can be transferred between users. 16.The battery charging and monitoring system of claim 1 wherein thebattery charging and monitoring system communicates the location of thefirst battery and the location of the second battery to allow a user toswap the first battery with the second battery.
 17. The battery chargingand monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the battery charging andmonitoring system communicates the location of the first battery and thelocation of the second battery to allow a user to swap the first batterywith the second battery.
 18. The battery charging and monitoring systemof claim 8 wherein the host machine further communicates over a networkwith one or more remote host machines coupled to a fourth plurality ofbatteries.
 19. The battery charging and monitoring system of claim 8wherein the battery and monitoring system estimates a time until abattery in the first plurality of batteries will need to be recharged.20. The battery charging and monitoring system of claim 19 wherein thebattery and monitoring system assesses the power usage of a device inthe plurality of wireless devices based on a record of power usages ofthe plurality of wireless devices.
 21. The battery charging andmonitoring system of claim 9 wherein the battery charging and monitoringsystem communicates the location of the battery of unfit quality and thelocation of the battery of a compatible type to allow a user to replacethe battery of unfit quality.
 22. The battery charging and monitoringsystem of claim 9 wherein the host machine further communicates over anetwork with one or more remote host machines coupled to a fourthplurality of batteries.